color

Diamonds were formed deep within the earth under extreme heat and pressure so often (even usually) contain trace elements that add a ‘tint’ to them.

Diamonds are valued by how closely they approach colorlessness – the less color, the higher their value, so color in diamonds is all about what you can’t see. (The exception to this is fancy color diamonds, such as pinks and blues, which lie outside this color range. See the last bit of this section if you have a fancy color in mind).

In trade jargon the normal range of diamond color found in jewelery comes under the term ‘white diamonds’. The GIA color grade chart looks like this:

White diamonds

Let’s start with the practical point of view. Most buyers want their stone to have no visible color but many would like to pay less than the price of a totally colorless stone as described below.

To arrive at a solution, think of color as a glass of water. Left alone it is deemed to be totally colorless which the GIA calls ‘d’.

If we add a drop of scotch, the change in color, while not visible to the untrained eye, is detectable by trained eyes or the right instruments, so is an ‘e’ which still falls into the colorless category. Add another drop and we have an ‘f’ the last color in the colorless category.

By adding more drops you descend through the letters of the alphabet where a few people can see the tint in most ‘gs’ and almost everybody in an ‘i’.

Our recommendation, if the ring is to be platinum, is to try for an ‘f’ or higher (some ‘g’s are ok too) so there’s no contrast between the stone and the metal. Important: See our detail about color under ‘certificates’ later in this section.

If your ring will be yellow or rose gold, consider anything from ‘d’ down, but include ‘h’ through ‘m’ which are way less costly and, if perfectly proportioned, can ‘face up’ beautifully.

Remember, the cost difference per color grade is considerable.

To get exactly the right color stone, either online or in-store, we can help you. If you’re buying online, we suggest going to our help section to speak with one of our diamond specialists who will get back to you after ensuring which stones pass their color test (and they have great eyes!).

If you’d like to personally examine and compare several stones yourself, click on our 'free hotel offer'. Make an appointment, come to any of our galleries and we’ll help you select the perfect stone with your own eyes from the selection we’ve especially brought in for you. Then, since this is a pretty important day in anyone’s life, why not take time to make it a romantic interlude.

Fancy colored diamonds

A caution when considering a fancy color diamond

Throughout the diamond part of our site you’ll find that our belief is that selecting a diamond is a visual experience in which the certification process is essential, but only to ensure your (or our) eyes were right and you’re getting what you paid for (which, without a GIA cert, is often not the case).

Whatever amount of caution we imply when buying a ‘white’ diamond, it needs to be multiplied by ten when contemplating a fancy color diamond. Most fancy colors are not round so all the problems of ‘life’ we discussed for fancy cut white diamonds are magnified by all the subtle levels of color dispersion through the stone.

In simple terms, if you thought picking a fancy shape was complicated, wait ‘til you try a fancy colored fancy shape!

To ensure you get the right stone take us up on our 'free hotel offer'. Visit one of our galleries to view a selection of diamonds (by appointment) chosen especially for you. Or, if that’s not possible, our diamond specialists can help. Tell them your wishes and budget and they’ll get actual stones in front of them, sort the

wheat from the chaff and phone you to discuss your options.

Allow about a week for the process.